First, load your camera with a good film. ASA 100 is fine.
If you are going to shoot a sequence of photos showing the
shuttle as it clears the launch pad, set your camera shutter
speed to 1/500 of a second, and set your arpature to f/8. If your
cameras has a motor drive, use it. Always put your camera on a
tripod if you can. If not, you could probably get away with hand
holding it. Always make sure you have fresh, new batteries in
your camera.